Paint applying device



July 23, 1957 G. L. BEDFORD PAINT APPLYING DEVICE Filed Oct. 51, 1952 2 Sheets-$heet l v INVENTOR Goz wzan .LBedford BY W 6' ATTORNEY y 1957 e. L. BEDFORD 2,799,884

' PAINT APPLYING DEVICE I Filed 001:. 51, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTORNEY United States Patent PAINT APPLYING DEVICE Gorman L. Bedford, United States Army Application October 31, 1952, Serial No. 318,151

2 Claims. (Cl. 15-230) (Granted under Title 35, U. 5.- Code (1952), see. 266) The invention described herein, if patented, may be manufactured and used by or for the Government for governmental purposes without the payment to me of any royalty thereon.

My invention relates to a paint applying device.

A primary object of the invention is to provide a highly simplified and inexpensive tool for applying paint to Wall corners, and to the corners and mullions of window sashes and the like.

A further object is to provide a device of the abovementioned character which is readily adjustable to facilitate the painting of surfaces arranged at various angles to each other.

A further object is to provide a device of the abovementioned character which will aid greatly in the painting of angular puttied surfaces close to window panes.

Still another object of the. invention is to provide a paint applying tool of the above-mentioned character which in some forms is cheap enough to be expendable.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent during the course of the following description.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this application, and in which like numerals are employed to designate like parts throughout the same:

Figure 1 is a perspective View of a paint applying device embodying my invention and illustrating a typical use of the same,

Figure 2 is a plan view of the device shown in Figure 1, parts in section,

Figure 3 is a further fragmentary perspective view of the device adjusted to perform a somewhat different operation than that illustrated in Figure 1,

Figure 4 is a true side elevation of the device shown in Figure 3,

Figure 5 is a horizontal cross section on line 55 of Figure 4, and

Figure 6 is a figgmentary exploded perspective view of the device shown in Figure 1.

In the drawing, where for the purpose of illustration is shown a preferred embodiment of my invention, the numeral 10 designates a handle formed of relatively stilf yet bendable wire, or the like. As shown, the handle 10 may comprise a single continuous section of wire bent to form an elongated loop, convenient to be grasped with the hand. The sides of the wire handle 10 are brought together near one end of the same to form straight parallel contacting portions or extensions 11 which may be soldered, welded or otherwise permanently secured together throughout a portion only of their lengths, so as to leave the forwardmost portions of the extensions 11 free from connection and adapted to be separated by bending as shown, for example, in Figure 3. At the extreme forward ends of the straight wire sections 11, the same are bent relatively sharply to form a pair of wire shafts or axles 12, integral therewith, and preferably arranged substantially perpendicular to the sections 11.

7 Patented July 23, 1957 Thus, the portions 11 comprise the legs and the shafts 12 the feet of two substantially L-shaped parts which are mounted on the front end of the handle 10.

A pair of small paint applying rollers 13 of wood or the like are freely rotatably mounted upon the axles 12, and covered with felt, fleece or other paint absorbing material, as indicated. As an example, the rollers 13 may be approximately of an inch in diameter and /2 an inch long, although their dimensions may be varied as desired so that the tool may be capable of performing various painting operations. Flat washers 14 are preferably mounted upon the axles 12, outwardly of the rollers 13, and small snap rings 15 engage in grooves 16 formed in the axles 12 near their outer extremities. The axles 12 are only slightly longer than the rollers 13, and the rollers are held captive between the handle extensions 11 and the fiat washers 14, although being freely rotatable, as previously stated.

In the use" of the device as thus far described, when it is desired to paint two flat surfaces arranged at an angle and forming a corner such as the corner of the window sash shown in Figure 1, it is merely necessary to adjust the angle between the axles 12 to fit the particular corners to be painted by bending the wire axles at their points of connection with the extensions 11. When the corner to be painted is substantially sharp, as shown in Figure 1, the extensions 11 remain parallel and contacting throughout their entire lengths as shown in Figure 1 and the adjustment of the angle between the rollers is made merely by bending or twisting the axles 12 to form a larger or smaller angle between them as the case requires. With this simple adjustment the device may be used to paint putty strips and the like close to window panes, as shown in Figure 1, regardless of the angle between the putty surface and the forward face of the window sash forming the sharp corner with the putty surface.

When it is desired to paint two angularly arranged surfaces such as the putty surfaces 17 separated by a flat surface 18 in Figure 3, the tool is adjusted prior to applying the paint by bending or twisting the axles 12 to the desired included angle, as previously described, and also separating the axles by bending the forward unconnected portions of the handle extensions 11. This adjustment allows the rollers 13 to assume the desired included angle and also to be spaced apart sufliciently to paint the angular surfaces 17, which are spaced apart by the flat surface 18. It is thus seen that an almost unlimited number of adjustments can be made by merely bending the axles 12 about the extensions 11 and by also bending the extensions 11, where necessary, to separate the rollers. It should be mentioned that the wire employed to make the tool handle should be sufilciently ductile to permit the necessary bending of the same and to enable the parts which are bent to remain in their selected adjusted positions. The wire should also be of sufficiently heavy gauge and stiff enough so that it will not yield during the course of the normal painting operation.

In applying the paint in any of the various applications indicated, it is merely necessary to dip the rollers 13 into the paint and then apply the paint to the particular surfaces by rolling the tool along the same, as illustrated. It is believed that the construction of the tool as thus far described and its cost is such that it may be considered an expendable item and discarded after a given job is completed.

While there has been shown and described a preferred embodiment of the invention, it should be understood that the same is susceptible of other forms of expressions. Consequently, the invention is not considered as being limited to the precise structure shown and described hereinabove except as hereinafter claimed.

3 I claim: 1. A paint applying device comprising a handle, said handle being formed from a unitary section of wire bent upon itself to form laterally spaced generally parallel handle sides, sectionsof said handle sidesjadjaeent'one end o f'the handle being arranged in closetsubs'tantially contacting relation and secu'redltogether near the, junction of said sections and handle sides a substantial distance inwardly of said one end of the handle,' said sections being separable by bending forwardlyofth'eir, point of joining in the handle for assuming various spaced apart positions, transverse extensions forming axles secured to the forward ends of said sections and bodily movable with said sections and lying in substantially thefsame plane in diverging relation generally at right angles to the handle, and paint "applying rollers journaled upon said extensions and adapted to apply paint upon angularly arranged surfaces when said sections are adjusted by bending so that said extensions and rollers are parallel to said Surfaces.

2. A paint applying device comprising a handle having a front end, a pair of generally L-shaped parts comprising angularly directed diverging feet and substantially parallel legs, said legs being secured to said frontend of said handle, said legs including'front portions, said front portions being separable by bending to assume various positions, said feet being moyable toward and from each other with said front portions of said legs, said feet forming axles, said feet lying in substantially the same plane generally at right angles to the handle, and paint applying rollers journaled upon said feet and extending for substantially the entire lengths of said feet and bodily movable therewith when said feet are movedttoward and from each other.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,051,555 Cochran Jan. 28, 1913 1,861,179 Gray May 31, .1932 1,921,002 Ozabal Aug. 8, 1933 2,538,241 Guimond Jan. 16, 1951 2,693,893 Rice Nov. 9, 1954 7 FOREIGN PATENTS p 80,213 Norway May 12, 1952 

